Once the Romans discovered that a dome is the strongest form of building, they built concrete domes extensively. The technique to build a dome has not changed much since then. Today we still use almost exactly the same method. In the Roman times concrete was reinforced with river bottom stones no bigger than fist size, and sometimes pozzolan ash also could be used. Pozzolan ash made the concrete extremely hard and waterproof (this ash was available near mount Vesuvius). Today we know that the best reinforcement for concrete is with steel rebar. Lately even steel rebar is being surpassed by basalt rebar, which is not destroyed by water or chemicals making it virtually indestructible. Once concrete reinforced with rebar takes a dome shape, it will last even longer, withstanding just about anything the weather can throw at it.
Today there are other modern systems of building domes using artificial materials such as an exterior rubber membrane liner. Foam is sprayed on the interior of the liner, steel rebar is attached to the foam, and then shot-crete is spayed to the desired thickness. In order to be able to spray the concrete, extremely small stones have to be used. Because the concrete spraying is done from the inside applying it upside down, working against gravity, strong chemicals are used to keep the concrete stuck to the walls so it does not fall down to the ground. This type of construction only offers a stucco or concrete finish on the interior. As these dome construction methods are relatively new, it is not known how long these structures will last or how much they can withstand over time. While they may work well in the short term, their long term benefits have yet to be tested.
One difficulty in building domes is in the foundation on which the dome is built. While it is easy to construct a dome about a round foundation, it is more difficult to do so about foundations of other shapes, such as squares and rectangles. While it is possible to build domes on such foundations using current dome construction techniques, such domes are often imperfect. Many provide curved surfaces, yet are formed in a more pyramidal shape.
Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide a dome enclosure that can be constructed on any foundation. The present invention is based around traditional beam and block construction methods, and employs the use of unique wall brackets and intersection brackets. A plurality of dome sections is erected around a foundation and secured together using a bonding material. Each of the plurality of dome sections has a curved beam, a wall bracket, and a plurality of blocks. The wall bracket rests on the foundation and provides a mount for the curved beam. Additionally, the wall bracket allows the placement of the curved beam to be readjusted anytime before the bonding material is poured or otherwise applied. The plurality of blocks provides an interior finish, spanning from one curved beam to another. The present invention requires no scaffolding other than a central support to erect the dome structure, and allows for quicker construction of a dome.